The New Chicana Heroine: Representations of Anzaldua's Mestiza Consciousness in Chicana Feminist Cultural Productions

Monica E. Montelogo, University of Texas-Pan American

Copyright 2011 Monica E. Montelongo. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/new-chicana-heroine-representations-anzaldúa-s/docview/885422901/se-2?accountid=7119

Abstract

This thesis analyzes Gloria Anzaldúa‟s mestiza consciousness as a representation seen thematically in Chicana feminist cultural productions. Mestiza consciousness, defined in Anzaldúa‟s Borderlands/La Frontera, is a non-binary feminist ideology, which proposes a third space in female identity, explored in terms of gender, class, race, and sexuality identification. The representation of mestiza consciousness in Chicana feminist cultural productions is proposed as a new trope in Chicana\o cultural studies, which I term the “New Chicana Heroine.” The New Chicana Heroine is both a proposal and representation of a third space in female identity. An examination of several authors, artists, and filmmakers, spanning multiple decades and genres, are viewed to distinguish the New Chicana Heroine as a distinct female representation. The Chicano nationalist ideology of La Familia and Chicana mother‟s role are indicated as key influences in the formation of Chicana identity and the identification of the New Chicana Heroine.